


Electrified

by RosevalleyNB



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Drabble, Gen, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-23
Updated: 2015-08-23
Packaged: 2018-04-16 20:41:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4639488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RosevalleyNB/pseuds/RosevalleyNB
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Perhaps, Katie should have told him to switch off the electricity first. Oh, well...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Electrified

**Author's Note:**

> The usual disclaimer applies: the HP franchise is not mine.
> 
> Originally written for the Start Stop challenge over at FFN. Since then deleted from there and republished here, after some polishing off the rough edges.
> 
> Prompt used: electrified

Katie tried to hide her sniggering as she watched a previously electrified Marcus try to walk off the twitches in his legs, muttering something unintelligible about Muggles and their deathly contraptions. His hair stood in all directions and each time he tried to smooth it down, a small current of electric static ran through his hand and up his arm, enticing another round of cussing from him.

 

In hindsight, it should have been an easy enough chore: changing the light bulb of the living room ceiling lamp. Katie's gran, Beatrice Bell, had declared herself too old to stand on a chair and do it herself, too afraid about falling and breaking a hip. Ever the gentleman, Marcus had beat his fiancée to it and had graciously offered to do the simple chore for the old girl. Instead of using magic without thought, he had even offered to do it the Muggle way, just the way she liked it.

 

Not out of the kindness of his heart, Katie knew. Heavens, even think something like that. You see, despite knowing each other for more than five years, Beatrice and Marcus had never warmed up to each other. She liked it a tad too much to goad him with her distrust of anything magical and he thought her to be an ancient old bird well past her expiration date. Never the one to pass on an opportunity to prove the old hag wrong, Marcus had decided to show her that he was quite capable of surviving in the Muggle world without his magic.

 

Oh yes, he had showed her, all right.

 

Maybe, Katie should have warned him to switch off the electricity or that he should have dried off his hands after holding the condensed can of beer. As it was, she didn't and had watched him struggle with setting up the rickety stepladder, intently examine the glass bulb to figure what to do with it, and then, smash it into a million pieces.

 

Beatrice had clapped and cackled with glee at the sight of a glass covered Marcus while Katie had rushed to his side to whisper in his ear that he should have unscrewed it. That had enticed a round of cussing, followed by a scolding from Beatrice for using crude language in her house and another can of beer to ease his frustrations.

 

Certain that he would get it right on the second try, Marcus had climbed on the ladder again and had reached for the fitting to wedge out the screw base with clammy hands. Unfortunately, the second try wasn't much better. As soon as his wet fingertips had reached the plastic fitting, there had been a loud crack followed by a power outage, caused by burned out fuses. The shock itself had thrown him to the ground.

 

While a concerned Katie had been busy with checking Marcus over for serious injuries, Beatrice had wheezed with laughter, to the point of becoming out of breath. Only the promise of another large glass of the good sherry had enticed her enough to leave the room. Which was ultimately a good thing as Marcus had been ready to hex her on the spot.

 

And that's where they were now, in the living trying to calm down before they faced the Bell matriarch again.

 

"Stop your giggling," Marcus grumbled as he tried to smooth down his hair again.

 

"I'm not," Katie faintly protested, but soon burst out in laughter when she saw the tiny flashes emitting from his fingers. She bit her lips and held up her hands in surrender when he narrowed his eyes at her. "Sorry, it's just too funny."

 

Marcus huffed in indignation and turned his back to her. He was sore all over, all because he wanted to help the ungrateful old shrew. "Your gran is trying to kill me," he mumbled barely audible, "She hates me."

 

"No, she does not want to kill you. It was an accident." Well aware that she was ignoring the last part of what he said, Katie tried to keep a straight face, laughing again would only enhance his sullen mood. She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. He didn't look at her. "She just needs to get used to you."

 

"Still after five years?" he asked incredulously.

 

"It took her nearly twenty years to warm up to Mum," Katie tried to placate him. His bulging eyes at her words told her she failed miserably at it. Perhaps, she ought to have used another example than her mother.

 

"Bloody hell, Bell," he started, "Twenty sodding years-"

 

Katie shut him up the only way she knew how, by pressing her lips on his. Unfortunately, this little action of hers made her a companion in Marcus' misery. As soon as their lips made contact in what was supposed to be a romantic gesture, the static still coursing through his body skipped over to her. She jumped away with a yelp, surprised by the unpleasant feeling.

 

Marcus chortled at the sight of her, not even bothering with trying to hide it. Just as he had earlier, she scowled at him for laughing at her for her misfortune. She pressed her lips to her uncomfortably tingling lips; they felt twice the size.

 

"Well, love," he chuckled and pulled her close again for another try at kissing, "Now you know how it is to be electrified."

 


End file.
